Editorial: Franking abuse by Hayworth, Ball is hypocritical

May 23, 2012

U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-Bedford, ranked No. 52 among House members who used taxpayer dollars to send correspondence to constituents. Her tab in 2011: $146,981 on 670,167 pieces of mail. / Poughkeepsie Journal/Spencer Ainsley

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A JOURNAL NEWS EDITORIAL

Rep. Nan Hayworth and state Sen. Greg Ball, dedicated complainers in their legislative bodies about government waste, spending and taxes, aren’t so circumspect when it comes to using taxpayer dollars for self-promotion. The two Republicans were the leaders among local House representatives and state senators who used — some say “abused” — their free mailing or franking privileges. Among snail-mail corresponding lawmakers, the pair were nothing if not prolific, according to articles by our Washington Bureau and “Tax Watch” columnist, respectively.

Hayworth, part of the budget-slashing congressional class of 2010, spent $146,981 on taxpayer-paid-for mailings — 670,167 pieces of mail — ranking her No. 52 among all House members and No. 2 among freshman lawmakers in New York; her missives ran the gamut from meeting notices to GOP talking points on sundry issues. GOP freshman Rep. Richard Hanna of Oneida County ranked No. 25 among all House members — and first among New Yorkers — spending $190,766 in 2011 to mail 461,281 pieces, according to Tuesday’s report by the Washington Bureau’s Ledyard King.

Ball, who in 2011 moved from the Assembly to the Senate, was every bit as eager to tell constituents what was on his mind, and to remind them of what he looks like. In the six-month period ending Sept. 30, the Patterson lawmaker spent $114,108 on such mailings, the third-highest among the state’s 62 senators, according to Saturday’s “Tax Watch” column by David McKay Wilson. No one in the local delegation came close to showing and telling so much.

Indeed, senators on average spent $46,943 on mail during the period; Ball spent at twice the rate of the Lower Hudson Valley’s six senators, who averaged $57,299. One four-page pamphlet from Ball — it was indistinguishable from garden variety campaign literature — included 18 pictures of the senator: Ball holding a shovel; Ball looking over some papers; Ball presiding at a meeting; Ball mugging with children and their Easter egg baskets, and so on. The mailing, without a tinge of irony, touts Ball’s record on cutting taxes.

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Hayworth had plenty of company at the mailbox, including Rep. Nita Lowey, D-Harrison, who sent out 420,174 pieces of mail, at a cost of $145,329. But the budget-cutting House Republicans, led by the freshman class, were clearly the most profligate spenders, making them also the most hypocritical; they accounted for eight of the 10 top taxpayer-funded mailers, and 18 of top 25 spots. All told, House members sent out more than 77 million pieces of franked mail, at a cost of $27.9 million. Some lawmakers, including Rep. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, spent nothing.

Clearly, lawmakers need to communicate with their constituents, and sometimes their only resort is through the Postal Service and at taxpayer expense. Twitter, Facebook and email don’t reach everyone.

But lawmakers inclined to stay in touch so much have an obligation to make the trip to the mailbox worth the bother. Perhaps every six months they could send out a scorecard that details how their primary-sponsored legislation progressed — or not. They could include an accounting of their own votes on important roll calls during the period.

And instead of so many promotional photographs, they could include a six-month accounting of lobbyists with whom they met; the amount and sources of campaign contributions they received; and, for good measure, a summary of what lobbyists and contributors requested of them. Including that wee bit of substance won’t reform the thinly disguised campaign pamphlet or mailer, but doing so would add greater context to the other promotional material being distributed at taxpayer expense.

It would also reveal a lot more about the real doings in Washington and Albany, not to mention the scruples of the people sent there to represent us.